Flow control apparatus



Jan. 20, 1959 R. o. CHAMBERLAIN ET AL FLOW CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Feb. 18. 1955 r I i Il INVENTORS RICHARD o. CHAMBERLAIN CHARLES E. WAKEFIELD JR.

ATTORNEYS 2,869,646 FLOW CONTROL APPARATUS Richard 0. Chamberlain, Cuyama, and Charles E. Wakefield, Jr., Bakersfield, Califi, assignors to Richfield Oil Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application February 18, 1955, Serial No. 489,246 3 Claims. c1. 166--185) This invention relates to the control of fluid flow in oil and gas wells. In particular, this invention is concerned with an apparatus for use in systems adapted for selectively controlling the flow of fluids into a plurality of producing formations within a well.

In our copending application, Serial No. 473,782, filed December 8, 1954, We have disclosed a system for controlling flow of fluids injected into and removed from a plurality of vertically spaced formations within a cased well bore. As discussed in our prior application, for maximum efliciency in controlling wells having a plurality of vertically spaced formations it is essential that flow control means employed be removable and insertable without the necessity of disturbing flow control members located on a higher level.

In our copending application, Serial No. 489,245, filed February 18, 1955, We have disclosed certain flow control member combinations particularly useful in the systems constituting the subject matter of our application Serial No. 473,782. The instant application is directed to certain novel flow control combinations particularly useful for injecting fluids into the producing formations.

Thus, we have devised certain novel injection flow control combinations comprising defined tubular valve means, an enlarged piping section which constitutes the operational environment of the tubular valve means and means disposed below the valve means capable of preventing undesired flow into the valve means from the formation. The essential apparatus comprising our invention includes a piping section having a through bore and provided with a laterally enlarged portion intermediate its ends, a tubular valve seat disposed within the laterally enlarged section, a tubular valve means, means adapted to facilitate retention of the valve means in operative position and check valve means external of the pipe section and communicating with the valve seat.

The invention will be most readily understood by reference to the attached drawing in which Figure l is a fragmentary vertical section of a flow control combination of the present invention showing a valve means in operative position, and

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the lower portion of the flow member combination showing in greater detail the check valve means, and

Figure 3 is a vertical section of a valve means which may be employed in this invention.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral represents a piping section adapted at its ends 12 to be engaged in a pipe string of a well bore. Piping section it) is provided with a through bore 8 and with a laterally enlarged portion 14 intermediate its ends. In the laterally enlarged portion 14 is an area comprising a valve seat 16. As shown, valve seat 16 is defined by the outer Wall of the laterally enlarged portion of the piping section 10 and a wall 18. The lower end portion 20 of the valve seat 16 opens externally of the pipatent O assists Patented Jan. so, less ice ing section 10. Means 22 are provided to facilitate retention of the valve means within the valve seat of the flow member combination. Advantageously means 22 takes the form of a ring spaced above the top of the valve seat area and may be formed by removing a section of wall 18 to provide the ring-like retaining member.

Disposed within the valve seat of the laterally enlarged portion 14 of piping section 10 is the tubular valve means or bored valve body generally indicated by the numeral 24 (refer especially to Figure 3). Advantageously, the valve means 24 may be considered to be composed of a plurality of threadingly engaged sections comprising an upper portion 26, an intermediate portion 28 and a bottom portion 30. The valve means can be a single unitary structure adapted to have the characteristics discussed below or it may be: composed of a plurality of sections. When the means is composed of a plurality of sections, it should be understood that suitable 0 rings, such as 31 in Figure 3, can be included where an absolute seal is desired.

The upper portion 26 of the valve means includes a means 32 associated therewith and adapted to permit engagement with a Well string tool (not shown) which is capable of inserting into and removing the valve means from the valve seat. Circumferentially disposed about the upper portion 26 is a means 34 which may take the shape of a shouldered projection. Means 34 is adapted to engage the upper surface retaining means 22 when the valve is in operative position. Spaced be low means 34 is a latching means 36 adapted to permit latching engagement with the lower side of the retaining means 22. Advantageously, latching means 36 may take the form and operate asdescribed in U. S. Patent Thus, it can be seen that the shouldered projection prevents downward movement of the valve means and the latching member prevents upward movement of the valve means until the latching mechanism is released.

The intermediate portion 28 of the valve means 24 is provided with a wall inlet aperture 40 or a plurality of such apertures. Advantageously, the wall 18 of the valve seat is provided with perforations 41 spaced around the wall and adjacent the apertures in the intermediate portion of the valve means, i. e., apertures 41 in Figure 1, to facilitate flow. Also, flow to the bore of the valvemeans can pass through the space just below retaining member 22 in the valve seat.

Below the intermediate portion 28 of the valve means 24 is the bottom portion 30. Disposed within the lower portion 30 is a removable, restricted orifice member 42. The orifice member has its longitudinal axis insubstantial alignment with the axis of the bore of the valve means above and below it. Immediately adjacentthe orifice on each side are areas 55 having internal diameters which are larger than the valve means bore. The diameter of the throat of the restricted orifice member may vary and to be effective in restricting flow is less than the diameter of the bore of the valve means. As shown, restricted orifice member 42 is placed at a position which is below apertures 40. This removable oriflce constitutes a flow control orifice which contributes to the determination of the flow characteristics of the flow control combination.

Bottom portion 30 is provided with an aperture to a seal 46 between the inlet and outlet apertures of the, valve means 24, flow of fluids through the length of the valve seat 16, unless it passes through the bore of the valve meansld, is prevented. suchtseals may-bdofi-any: constructionand be disposed on either thegvalveyseatxor'i the valve body but: resilient seals; onll'lfiVfllVfibQClE/flffi' preferred.

Referring especially to Figure. 2,: spaced. belowthe. lowermost portion ofthe valve'means 2.4 andaco'nstitutingz an extension of the valve seat 16 is a means 18 adapted to prevent ingress of fluids flil-fi'SfillilSgiG the valve seat and valve means from the formation. Means 48- de-; sirably takes the form of acheck valve means-compris ing, as shown in figure 2, .a'body. member. fill-having an. internal tubularbjore. The internal bore of body member 50-is enlargedintermediateits ends. Placed within the enlarged portion of; thebore of. body-member 5G is. a springSd-having a means 56, advantageously. a ball, disposed ontop thereof-and adapted to; sealingly engage the portion of the bore throughbody-member 56' which. is immedia-telyadjacent theupper end of the enlarged bore. Spaced below the check valve means-is aguard 6d asso ciated ,with the external surfaceof piping section 10 and adapted to afford protection for thecheck. valve means. duringinsertionand removal of the piping section from a:cased well bore.

In the present invention, the opening in the valve seat, which communicates: the lower opening in-the valve body with the, external portion of the pipe section through the check valvemeanashould not communicatewiththe pipe; 0

section bore except through the valve body. Also, the fluids passing through the valve body should pass through. the. check valve meansand into the formation. These. restrictions onzfiow give'efiective-control of the. amount of .flu ids passing into agiven formation,-.. and b changing. thesizeofthe orifices inthe-valve bodies flow can be'regulated. In the. event it is desiredto block ofi a formation,- the=-removable orificem'ay'be replacedby a solid member: In: the invention; thcrestricted flow paths aredefined'by the position of the'openings inthe valve seat and valve body, and the location of the resilient packing seal 46. The bottom portion of the bore of the valve seat does not communicate directly with the bore of the pipe string below the seal 46. In other words, this portion of the. valve seat is provided with means to maintain it sealingly separated from communication with the bore of the. pipe section other than through the valve meansand the. openings in the upper portion of the valve meanswhich do communicate with the bore. Suitable means to sealinglyseparate the lower portion of the valve seat from the pipe section bore advantageously comprise the wall member 18; thus,-wall member 18 is desirably arcontinuousunperforated structure below the seal means as shown iii-Figures 1 and 3; preventing flow from the bore into the valve seat below=theseal-.

In operation a plurality =of piping sections -10, including, the check valve means,- are placed'inapipe-stringin a well bore adjacent a pluralityof permeable formations and the'sectio-ns desirably are packed off as described in our prior application, Serial No. 473,782. Valve means 24 is then lowered into. the pipe string by'meansof a suitable wire tool and directed into: a valve seat area at each formation. Fluids to beinjected into the formationare then passed downwardly in the pipe string, passed into the valve means through the uppermost apertures therein, passed downwardly through the bore ofthe valve means through therestricted orifice and out. the lower most aperture and then th'roughthe check.valve..meansand into the formation. It can be seen that afluid pressure must be employed which is sufiicient to effectv an opening'of the check valvemeans. On the other hand, it. can be seen that the check valve means selectively-pre- Y vents. the passage of'unwanted' iluidszand. sandifrom the formation '1 into the valve seat: :area:.and; theiralye meanstz.

iii

4 disposed therein. The rate of flow offluids. enteringthe. formation is controlled by the characteristics of the removable restricted orifice member 42 previously described. For example, increased or decreased flow into a particular formation can be obtained simply by raising a given valve member to the surface by use of a wire tool and then insertingan. orifice member. having va larger or smaller throat diameter as the case may be. It will be appreciated that the rates offlow-of fluids. tov different formations can. be made similar. or different; merely by the proper choice of= throat. diameter for the=removable restricted orifice.

The valve means canbe insertedor. removed from a valve seat at any level in the well regardless of whether other valved sectionsaredisposedin an overlying position in the pipe string since the valve seat, the valve body and the laterally offset section 14 are proportioned so that the valve body can: pass by. the valve seat and throughathebore-of thepipe-sectionr By'using awirc=line withtasuitable-tool agivenvalve body can be-inserted or removedfrom the pipe string eventhoughthestring may: contain a large number of the laterallyenlarged pipe sections; Thus, simple andeffective; control is obtained for injecting fluids from any'number'of vertically spaced packeclofi formations.

We claim:

1.. Apparatus of the type described comprising a pipe sectionhaving a through bore andv having a laterallyenlargedportion-intermediate the endsof said section, a tubular valve-seat in said laterally enlarged section, said valve seat being in communication at an upper portion with the bore of said pipe section and having an opening in alower'end portion communicating externally of said pipe section,- a flow-restrictive borc'dvalve means rernovabiy disposed in said valveseat, said valve means being adapted to be removed and inserted'insaid valve" seat by a welltool insertable intosaid pipe section, said valve means, valve-seatand laterally enlargedportion of Saidpipe'section being proportioned t'oenable the. valvemeans to pass through said pipe section bore, an open-- ing in an upper portion of said valve means communicating with the bore of saidvalve means andthe bore of' said pipe section, an opening in a lower portion of said valve means communicating with the bore of said'valve means-and the opening in a lower portion ofsaid valve seat, flow preven ing means disposed between'the valve seat and valve means intermediate the upper and lower openings in the valve means, means-to sealingly'separate the valve seat below said flow preventing means'from direct communication with the bore of said pipe section and a check valve means external of' said pipe section and communicating with the-openingin a'lowercnd portion of said valve seat, saidcheck" valve. meansiadapted to permit flow through said" tubular-valve meansand through said. opening in the lower portion of said valve seat.

2. The apparatus ofclaim l in which said .flow preventing means is a resilient seal.

3. The apparatus of. claim 1.in which a removable restricted orifice member is disposed .in .the bore of the valve. means between said valve. .means opening References Citedin the filecf thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,310,615 Greenlee Ju1y.22, 1919 2,227,539 Dorton Jan. 7', .1941 2,694,169 Miller July,22,. 1952 2,611,436 Carr ct al Sept. 23, .1952 2,664,162; Howard. et al -..Dec.x29, 1.953 1 2,679,903 McGowen et al. June-1, 1954 2,679,904 Howard-ct al. June 1, 1954 2,699,730 Bryan Jan; 18,195.. 2,745,497; Daleet al w..-e..- May;1-L5;-.,1956:: 

